Dreams
by Cuurse
Summary: Hank dreams about Cole, but is later brought back into reality.


Hello guys!

I won't lie, this is my very first attempt at a short story so I have no idea if it's any good. I wanted to try writing something more complex than usual in English as it's my second language and I really want to progress. Please please correct me if you see a jarring grammatical mistake! I need feedback :)

I seem to remember that there's a "window" before the chapter "Public Enemy" where we don't know what happened directly before it (nor is it important), so I thought it would be a good place to set this thing. I didn't want to change anything, but rather add something from myself. I'm only now realising that the theme fits the previous chapter with Hank, where the topic of Cole came up. I belong to the part of the community that DOES NOT ship Connor and Hank. I rather prefer them having a father/son relationship.

You guessed it, I went with the most obvious title! I never said I was creative :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Hank woke up to Cole tugging him by the shirt.  
"Hurry up, I don't want to be late for the hundredth time!"  
He must have fallen asleep in front of the computer. Again. He could tell that his back and neck didn't appreciate that habit at all. Writing reports always seemed to have that effect on him, but that was part of his job, and he had to keep it, things being as they were. The good news was that today was his day off. The day he's been longing for for a while now. But before he could start relaxing for once, he had to drive Cole to school.

"You got everything?" he asked while grabbing the car keys. Cole had the habit of forgetting to pack some of his school supplies or textbooks. The boy nodded. Hank cast him a suspicious glance. He wasn't convinced, but trusted that Cole had already learned to take school more seriously. All the lectures about the importance of education couldn't all have been for nothing!  
On the way out Cole hugged Sumo goodbye. The dog barely reacted, aside from almost jumping off the coach in suprise. He had been sleeping deeply. And was probably dreaming about sleep, Hank thought. Cole raced towards the car and waited impatiently for him to catch up, jumping up and down in order to keep warm. Hank opened the door for him. "Hop in," he said. "And Cole?" he added to get the boy's attention. Cole looked at him questioningly, clearly wishing for them to be on the road already. "Fasten your seatbelt." Cole did so as soon as he got onto the back seat.  
They managed to arrive just as the school bell rang. Cole opened the door once the car came to a complete stop.  
"Have fun," Hank called after him. All he got for an answer was a quiet "Uh-uh".  
He followed Cole with his eyes until he disappeared behind the door.

It was well past afternoon. Cole would be finishing his last class soon. Hank would have to pick him up of course. Cole had repeatedly asked his father to let him walk to and from school by himself, but Hank was still reluctant to do so. Cole was only about to turn 6, and who knows what all the homeless people were capable of? There was more and more of them, their whole lives taken away by the androids. He didn't think it beneath them to try stealing money from a child, or worse. People change when they are desperate, after all.  
"Be good, Sumo," he said, petting the dog on the head. Sumo was half asleep but wagged his tail as a "see you later". Hank was almost jealous of his dog. Sumo could sleep all day every day and no one was telling him otherwise. Then again, Sumo didn't have a kid and job to look after. Hank grabbed his coat and car keys... and hoped there would be no pidgeon shit anywhere on his car this time.  
Cole had been waiting for him for more than a few minutes. He saw him shivering from the cold and trying desperately to get warm.  
"Something wrong?" He asked as the boy lifted his head to look at him. There was no answer, but Cole was clearly upset about something. Hank was almost scared to interrogate him further for fear of making it worse, but he wanted him to know that he wasn't alone.  
"You know you can talk to me," he said quietly. But Cole clearly didn't want to discuss whatever was bothering him, at least not right now.  
"Get in the car. You don't want your butt to freeze to the spot, do you?" Hank thought teasing the kid a little might brighten his mood, though It barely seemed to have any effect. Cole was looked at him indifferently, but gladly entered the warm interior of the vehicle.

They were everywhere. The CyberLife advertisements. They were slowly but surely starting to piss him off. He wouldn't admit it, but his anger was being fed by fear. In his eyes, technology was becoming a tad terrifying. Machines walking and talking like people? Getting employed instead of humans? How long until one of them took his job? How would he take care of Cole without work? Or maybe it was the simple fact that the ads were on most of the billboards. As if people needed constant reminding of the so called technological breakthroughs that were the androids. Weren't they advertising themselves enough simply by walking around?  
"The teacher asked us what we want to be when we grow up, you know?"  
The sudden question startled Hank. He had been lost in his thoughts and had almost forgotten about Cole in the back.  
"Oh? And what do you wanna be?" Hank could see a wide smile on Cole's face reflected in the mirror, as if the boy knew that the answer would please him.  
"I want to be a great cop, dad. Just like you!"  
Hank couldn't help but smile to himself. He was proud.  
"That's what they keep teasing me about." The boy added sadly. Hank had been suspecting as much. He guessed that the other kids found it funny to keep telling Cole that he could never be a policeman, because by the time he's old enough the androids will have taken everyone's jobs.  
Before he could try to comfort him, he was distracted by the faint word "Lieutenant" in the background. Or maybe it was in his head? He heard it being repeated a few times, with more and more pressure each time, then felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him quite roughly. Upon opening his eyes, he realised where he was. One of the places he dreaded the most. His desk at the police station. He must have fallen asleep while writing a report. Again. Looking up, he saw Connor looming over him, as if waiting for a response. It took Hank a while to say anything. The dream had seemed so real. Cole had seemed so real. In fact, it was an exact replica of a day that took place almost exactly three years ago. Cole had indeed told him that he wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a policeman...  
"Lieutenant?" Wasn't he going to let him shake the sleep off?  
"Wha-?"  
"Sorry to wake you," he interrupted, "but I'm afraid we need to hurry. We're needed at Stratford tower."  
"What the hell for?"  
Connor had already opened his mouth to answer, but Hank stopped him with a gesture.  
"You'll tell me on the way. No use standin' here," he grumbled while walking towards the exit. He'd give anything to be as far away from that desk as possible. Reports seemed to be more effective than sleeping pills, and he hated dreaming about Cole. All that did was harshly remind him of the fact that he would never see his son grow up and achieve his goals...  
He was almost at the door when he heard Connor's voice again.  
"Lieutenant, wait."  
"Listen here, you!" As he said that, Hank turned around sharply, meaning to scold the android for once again interrupting his thoughts, but bit his tongue at the last moment. Connor was handing him a piece of thick clothing. It took him a moment to realise what it was. His coat. It had been hanging on the back of the chair. "I imagine it's quite cold today. Don't you?"  
How distracted did he have to be to almost walk out into the cold without a damn coat?  
"Yeah...thanks." he murmured and once again started towards the door, with Connor close behind this time.  
"Anytime, Lieutenant."


End file.
